Automobile: at 88 years old, Gérard Authebon will be co-driver on the Cigalois rally, and it’s going to be awesome!

Gérard Authebon et Bertrand Fassio devant la BMW M3 groupe A. MIDI LIBRE – ALAIN LAURET

Le 41e rallye national du Cigalois, manche de la Coupe de France, se court ce samedi 14 décembre. Avec un vétéran qui va vivre une expérience exceptionnelle…

Gérard Authebon is known as the white wolf in the rally world in Occitanie. At 88 years old, he was recently at the start of the Critérium des Cévennes. He signed his first license in 1967, starting with a Lotus Élan.

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From his garage in Montpellier to the right seat of Bertrand Fassio's M3

An accomplished athlete, he does his morning jog every day before heading to his garage in the centre of Montpellier, where he has been dismantling and reassembling Austin Minis for 50 years. And for this 41st edition of the Cigalois, which starts this Saturday in Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, he will have an exceptional experience. Not behind the wheel, but in the right-hand seat of Bertrand Fassio's M3, as part of the historic rally.

A historic friendship

For the record, Fassio, winner of the VHC last year, would have finished 5th in the modern rally. Needless to say, the guy “is really good”!

He explains: “Gérard is my reference, an idol. When I was 14, I went to see the Critérium des Cévennes on a moped, at Maurice's, in Pont d'Hérault. And when I was 17, he took me as a co-driver in his Ford Escort MK2 for the Val d'Agout rally. We won the class. I was a student and I was squatting in his garage which was nearby. We remained very close and I'm going to return the favor. It's above all a story of friendship“.

Gérard Authebon: “I thought I had experienced everything, I've tried cars but this is another level”

Gérard Authebon, embarked on an adventure that has surpassed him, is not hiding his pleasure. “Bertrand's entire team has been setting up this operation for six months. I couldn't refuse. On Thursday morning, we did some tests. I was glued to the seat, very impressed by the brutal power of this M3. I thought I had experienced everything; I've tried cars but this is another level. Announcing the scores is not going to be easy, especially since the guy doesn't intend to go there just to play around. I made it clear to him that I can do stupid things all by myself and that I don't need anyone, just to moderate his enthusiasm and… my fears. It will be an experience I hadn't considered”, the veteran concluded with a burst of laughter. Clearly already “in the game”.

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